A recent viral photo showed a group of male students from the Baraboo school district in Wisconsin headed to prom. Many of the teens had their right arms extended in a manner that has been interpreted as a Nazi salute. The photo drew condemnation, including from the Auschwitz Memorial’s official Twitter account, which called the incident an example of “hateful Ideology rising.”
Baraboo school administrators have announced that the students who appear to be making a Nazi salute in the photo will not be punished. In a letter to parents, School District Administrator Lori Mueller says that the students will not face any punishment because their actions are protected by the First Amendment.
“As previously stated, we cannot know the intentions in the hearts of those who were involved,” Mueller wrote in the letter. “Moreover, because of students’ First Amendment rights, the district is not in a position to punish the students for their actions.”
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